Grenade event in Sudan on Fri 19th April 2024

5 children dead, dozens injured in South Darfur mine explosion  

Five children died when unexploded ordnance exploded in Al-Jeer North District in Sudan’s South Darfur State last Friday while another six children were injured in a second blast within the same locality on Sunday.

Mohammed Hashim Abu Al-Zaki, the Director of the Baladna Social Development Organization that specializes in demining, confirmed the fatalities and said that the injured are receiving treatment at the Al-Abrar Hospital.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Abu Al-Zaki further said another explosion that killed two children was reported in the Texas area.

“On the same Friday, a similar incident occurred at 10 a.m. in Texas District and claimed the lives of two children and injured two others who are currently undergoing treatment at Nyala Turkish Hospital,” he stated. “Another explosion occurred in the Hajeer Tuno area on Saturday, resulting in the death of one child and the injury of two individuals.”

Abu Al-Zaki urged families in Nyala Town to be cautious about their children's exposure to unexploded ordnance, especially hand grenades, due to their resemblance to the sweetsop fruit locally known as qishta.

He specifically warned residents around the premises of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) 16th Infantry Division where battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took place to report any suspicious metallic and unexploded objects. He attributed the rise in explosion incidents in recent days to soaring weather temperatures.

Meanwhile, Faisal Zakaria, the father of one of the children who died in the Al-Jeer North District explosion, said his son, Abdul Shakour, along with three neighbors’ children aged between 13 and 16, found the explosive device while playing in the neighborhood square.

“They tampered with the device which exploded immediately resulting in the death of my son Abdul Shakour and one of the neighbor’s children, Adam Bakheet, and injuring the other two,” he narrated.

According to Zakaria, one of the injured children, Nur Al-Din Suliman Younis, suffered a serious abdominal injury and underwent surgery on Monday at Al-Abrar Hospital and is now in a stable condition.

He urged all local authorities to double their efforts in removing unexploded ordnance in various residential neighborhoods in the state.